Dugald McPhail

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During his time as Minister, McPhail came up with the idea of mimicking the then-new Muggle bus service to provide underage and infirm witches and wizards with a discreet method of transportation, leading to the introduction of the Knight Bus in 1865.[2]

Behind the scenes

This character shares his name with the historical figure D(o)ugald McPhail (1840—1941). Born in Iverary, Argyll, Scotland, the real-life McPhail immigrated to KwaZulu-Natal and was one of the original founders of the town of Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal. McPhail served as a Quartermaster for the Buffalo Border Guard during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. He later fought for the British in the Second Boer War (1899-1902). He died at the age of 101, in 1941.[5]

Notes and references

↑In order to have been appointed Minister for Magic by 1865, McPhail would have had to be out of Hogwarts and thus at least 17 at that point, placing his earliest birth year in 1847 — although it is unlikely someone that young would become Minister for Magic.